The present invention relates to a suspension, and particularly, to a suspension for protective headgear such as a protective helmet.
Most types of protective headgear worn by workers to protect them from head injury have a suspension system. The suspension system, along with the helmet itself, act to absorb the shock of an impact with any object striking the worker""s head. The suspension system is also used to position the helmet on the worker""s head.
The suspension is often a web-like support system comprising several strips of material that are arranged to cross each other. The ends of the strips are, for example, attached at four or more points around the circumference of the helmet. A band or headband is then typically attached to the four or more points of the suspension to permit the helmet to be worn by the worker. To securely position the helmet on the worker""s head, it is essential that the circumference of the headband be adjustable to fit the appropriate head size. A napestrap is often attached at a rearward end of the band to achieve these results.
For example, in the Staz-On(copyright) Suspension from Mine Safety Appliances Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,500,474 and 5,896,586 a headband, and more particularly, the napestrap portion of the headband, is manually adjusted by the wearer to fit the appropriate head size. The two ends of the band are connected and held in place by a slot-and-teeth arrangement. In the Fas-Trac(copyright) Suspension from Mine Safety Appliances Company, and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,942,628 and 5,950,245, a ratchet-type mechanism is used to control the fit of the headband.
In commercially available suspensions for use with protective headgear, the supporting webbing and the headband are generally fabricated from three or more components, requiring relatively expensive and time consuming assembly. It is, therefore, desirable to develop a suspension for protective headgear which is comfortable, easily adjustable to the head size of the user, as well as simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Generally, the present invention provides a suspension for use in protective headgear. The suspension comprises a headband section to encompass at least a part of a user""s head and a crown support section connected to the headband section. The crown support section is adapted to extend over the crown of a person""s head during use of the suspension. The headband section and the crown support section of the suspension are fabricated from an integral piece of material. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cintegralxe2x80x9d and the phrase xe2x80x9cintegral piece of materialxe2x80x9d refer to a single piece of material that is a seamless whole.
Preferably, the suspension is fabricated from an integral piece of polymeric material. Preferably, the polymeric suspension is molded in a generally flat mold. The headband section preferably comprises at least a first opening or disconnection therein and a second opening or disconnection therein during molding to facilitate generally flat molding. Fabricating the suspension of the present invention from an integral piece of material, and particularly a generally flat, integral piece of molded polymeric material, greatly reduces the labor and manufacturing costs associated with protective headgear. Moreover, because the suspension of the present invention is molded in a generally flat, disconnected state, it can be easily stacked for storage and/or shipment.
The suspension preferably further comprises attachment tabs for attaching the suspension to the shell of the protective helmet. These attachment tabs are preferably formed integrally with the remainder of the suspension (that is, the tabs are part of the integral piece of material). The crown support section of the suspension of the present invention preferably comprises at least two crown straps connected at a first end thereof to the headband section and connected at a second end thereof to a generally central section. The generally central section is preferably adapted to contact the top of the user""s head during use of the suspension.
A portion of the crown support section preferably deforms when the protective headgear has sustained an impact of a certain force. Preferably, a portion of at least one of the crown straps deforms when the protective headgear has sustained an impact of a certain force. This deformation of a portion of the crown support section acts to absorb some of the energy of the impact. Preferably, the portion of the crown support section deforms sufficiently to provide a readily visible indication that the protective headgear has sustained the impact.
For example, the portion of the crown support section that deforms may comprise a first opening in the crown strap that visibly deforms when the protective headgear has sustained an impact. That portion of the crown support section may also comprise a second opening adjacent the first opening. In this embodiment, a strip of material between the first opening and the second opening is preferably adapted to break when the protective headgear has sustained an impact of a certain force. Additional holes may also create high stress areas that deform and/or break when the protective headgear has sustained an impact of a certain force.
The present invention also provides a suspension including a headband comprising an elastomeric portion. The inventors of the present invention have discovered that a headband comprising a length of even slightly elastomeric material greatly increases the comfort of the user when compared to certain commercially available suspension systems. Moreover, the present inventors have discovered a length of elastomeric material can be incorporated into a headband of a suspension for protective headgear while still complying with Top Impact Standard ANSI Z89.1-1997 for such protective headgear.
In one embodiment, the length of the elastomeric material spanning the opening in the headband section is preferably adjustable to adjust the fit of the suspension. In another embodiment, the opening is closed and the headband section is provided with a mechanism for attaching the elastomeric material.
In the suspension described above, for example, a limited elastomeric band or portion may span the first opening of the headband section. This limited elastomeric band section contacts the forehead of the user. The limited forward elastomeric band section is preferably formed from a material which is suitable to cushion the user""s head and may also act as a sweatband. Alternatively, the two front arms of the headband section may be connected together, eliminating the first opening. This section is then covered with a soft flexible material to cushion the user""s head and also act as a sweatband.
The present invention also provides a forward band section comprising in one embodiment a first or forward section to contact the forehead of the user and a second or upward section adapted to be positioned between the user""s head and the crown support section of the suspension during use thereof. The forward band section is preferably formed from a material suitable to cushion the user""s head. The first section of the forward band section and the second section of the forward band section are preferably formed from an integral piece of material. Unlike prior forward bands or sweatbands incorporated into protective headgear, the second section of the forward band section of the present invention cushions the top of the user""s head from contact with the crown support section of the suspension, thereby substantially increasing the comfort of the user. As described above, the forward band section is preferably elastic in nature.
The present invention also provides protective helmets comprising suspension systems and/or forward band sections as described above.